In Jordan, Laws That Provoke Violence

Jordan has stood out for its relative stability and religious tolerance in a region roiled by conflict. But the murder on Sunday ofNahed Hattar, a prominent secular writer, is an alarming sign that Jordan’s laws on defamation of religion encourage violent extremism.

Mr. Hattar was shot three times as he prepared to enter a court in Amman to face criminal charges related to a cartoon he had posted on Facebook. Riad Abdullah, a former imam known for his extremist views, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder. Mr. Hattar’s family is outraged, saying the government failed to protect the writer, despite being alerted of multiple death threats.

The cartoon, which depicted a bearded man, presumably in heaven, in bed with two women asking God to bring him wine and cashews, provoked an uproar in Jordan, where many saw the image as blasphemous. Though Mr. Hattar quickly removed the cartoon, deactivated his Facebook account and apologized, Jordanian authorities charged him with the crimes of “inciting sectarian strife” and insulting “other people’s religious feelings.”

These charges further inflamed reactions against Mr. Hattar’s cartoon. “By detaining him and taking him to court, they criminalized his action, putting him in the cross hairs, and legitimized the space needed for the crazies to respond,” wrote Naseem Tarawnah, a Jordanian blogger. As Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said, this kind of prosecution serves to “stigmatize individuals and make them targets for vigilante reprisals.”

On Wednesday, King Abdullah II of Jordan swore in a new government, following elections last week. The new cabinet should introduce legislation to repeal religious defamation and related crimes in Jordan’s penal code. These laws are acting as provocations for extremist violence, something Jordan can ill afford as it struggles to deal with some 1.4 million Syrian refugees within its borders and a region at war.